Mexican gang leader dies after being caught in crossfire
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Jan 5 (EFE) .- Mexican authorities reported on Thursday the death of a criminal leader whose break from prison on Sunday led to a riot that left 17 dead and the escape of over 20 inmates.
The leader of the criminal gang Los Mexicles, Ernesto Alberto Piñon, also known as El Neto, died in the crossfire during an operation by security forces.
Intelligence and multidisciplinary teams located Piñon’s whereabouts after a search of more than 48 hours, according to a statement from the attorney general’s office of the state of Chihuahua.
Authorities said that Piñon was captured after an exchange of gunfire at the site, from where he escaped in a vehicle until he crashed into a gas station.
He fired back at the police but was seriously wounded and died later while being transferred to the prosecutor’s office.
After he escaped from a prison in Ciudad Juarez on January 1, there was a riot in which 10 guards and seven inmates died, and 27 inmates fled, among them El Neto.
The incident revealed a network of corruption and mismanagement at the prison, where El Neto and 10 other inmates enjoyed a luxurious life and hid millions of pesos. EFE
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